a/n: Ha Ha Ha, update:D

Elliot sighed and stood up. Liv wasn't coming back on her own. He checked one more time on Abby before heading for the back porch.

He placed his baby monitor next to Liv's and sat down on the step next to her. He was near enough to put his arm around her, but he didn't dare to touch her just yet. She knew he was there, but she didn't say anything. The pair just watched the stars, the soft sound of their baby sleeping joining with the crickets in the night.

When he looked at her he was surprised to see a tear glistening down her cheek. Now all he wanted to do was reach out and take her in his arms and tell her everything would be okay, that he would see her through all her troubles, but he didn't want her to feel smothered. The thought that that's what she needed most right now, to feel loved and wanted, unfortunately didn't cross his mind right then.

"Why are you here?" she asked, so softly that he almost missed it.

"You didn't come back to bed, so I-"

"No, why are you in New Mexico?" she clarified. He stared at her, dumbfounded that she'd asked such a question,

"Because I love you," he answered.

"But not Abby."

"Of course I love Abby, she's my daughter. How can you even suggest that?" he asked in disbelief. She tried to answer, but nothing came. He reached for her but she slipped from his grasp and started to pace on the grass. Soon she was ranting,

"I don't know if I can handle this now Elliot, I…I can't help it. Before Abby was born all my attention was focused on her. I just put everything else off, but now I don't have that excuse anymore, and everything is happening at once. What if I can't do it? What if I screw her up? What if I –aaargh!" she growled at the night sky, "nothing is ever easy. Just as one thing seems to be sorting out, all new problems rear up. Too much uncertainty, too much up in the air. And we never talk, Elliot," she said, turning to him, "we never talk about anything important. I mean we're going back in a week and we still don't have a home sorted out, or even childcare, not to mention you haven't said one thing about getting married since this whole ordeal started. What happen to our promises to each other? Is one failed marriage enough to-" Elliot wasn't hearing a word at this point. His mind had reeled at her first mention of marriage. The joy he felt at realizing she still wanted to get married was short-lived as he realized that she was in no condition to handle the additional stress. Plus, she would always wonder if he'd just proposed to "fix" their relationship, instead of out of love and desire. Now she was pacing again, and her voice shifted up another notch, drawing him back into her rant, "and what about your other kids, what the hell are they going to do when they find out about Abby? Because they will find out, if you want them to or not, I will make sure they know their sister. I won't hide her-"

"Liv, Liv! Please stop. You're being ridiculous," he called to her. He regretted his choice of words instantly. She stopped dead and stared him right in the eye. He shrank as he learned what it felt like to be a perp under her gaze. She opened her mouth and released all of her anger,

"I will stop when you tell me why you won't tell them about my baby!" she demanded. Elliot shot up, shocked, and marched across the lawn to her,

"Your baby! That baby in there is just as much mine as she is yours! I love her, as I love each and every one of my children, and I will defend them all to my dying breath. Do not for one second ever doubt my love for my children, including Abby." he looked into her eyes with all the ferocity of his love, and saw her tears begin to fall. She tried to hold his gaze but she couldn't,

"I'm so sorry," she said in a very small voice. In the dim light he could see her tears falling fast. He took her in his arms and she let him hold her.

"Olivia, I will love you and our daughter until the day I die, and nothing will ever change that. Please don't ever doubt me," he felt her nod into his chest. He led her back to the steps.

After a few minutes she'd calmed down enough and she tried to explain herself,

"I just couldn't understand why you weren't telling them. It was infuriating watching you on the phone with your other kids, holding our daughter, and you never told them. I just didn't understand…I started to wonder, and then I started to worry…"

"Sweetheart," he said. She could hear the pain in his voice.

"And my imagination got the best of me."

"I am so sorry," he said, looking at eye to eye, "I wasn't telling them because I thought it would be easier for them to accept Abby if she was right there in front of them, instead of just hearing about her over the phone. I'm sorry, I should have explained that to you."

"Yes, you should have. Things only got worse when you started keeping your distance, and then you stopped holding me at night."

"I was afraid of you; afraid you'd kick me out if I came near you. I was just relieved you were letting me sleep in the same bed." At his words 'I was afraid of you' her eyes went wide.

"I don't want you to ever be afraid of me, ever," she said, but paused to reconsider her words; she gave him a sly smile, "except when you deserve to be scared, that is." Elliot laughed and they both felt themselves relax. She snuggled into his arms; "I think I understand why you didn't tell them now. It is hard to be mad at someone with a newborn in their arms," she said and Elliot smiled in agreement.

"Good," he said, "Don't worry, first chance we get, they're meeting her."

"Count on it."

They sat in each other's arms in the peace of the night, watching the lightening sky.

"Why didn't you come get me last night?" she asked quietly.

"I thought you wanted some time alone."

"I'm tired of being alone," she said, and took his hand in hers as they watched the sun come up over the trees.

"Feel better?"

"A little. Still scared as hell to introduce Abby to your kids, and frightened even more to be her mother."

"That's normal."

"You felt that?"

"I still do, with all of my children. But they all seem to be coming along nicely," he said, smiling.

"When is it going to come naturally to me?"

"You're getting better everyday. You've gotta stop worrying and just relax," Elliot shifted in his seat of hard wooden plank, "speaking of relaxing, can we go back to bed? My ass is killing me," he said, completely breaking the mood. She laughed at him,

"Speaking of pains in the ass…" she teased.

"Hey!" he said indignantly, "well, now I have to tickle you." His hands moved to her and she jumped away laughing. She was quick, but he was faster. He caught her after a short chase across the grass and lifted her into his arms. Her laughter trailed away as she wrapped her arms around his neck and they shared a long and loving kiss.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too."

"Better now?" Alex asked when she found Elliot in the kitchen munching on his cereal much later that morning.

"Yep," he said, grinning. Alex couldn't help but smile at his good mood.

"I'm so glad," she said, "and she will be so much easier to live with now."

"I know." She sat down across from him with her own breakfast, "so, what's up for today, Alex?" he asked her, and her smile flickered and fell.

"I'm going to tell Ellen and Mary-Sue my deep, dark secret today," she said.

"You don't sound very optimistic."

"I don't expect it to go very well."

"Liv and May patched things up."

"I know," Alex didn't sound convinced.

"Do you have to tell them?"

"They'll wonder when they get the wedding invitations otherwise," she said, a wry smile on her face.

"That is a good point."

"Given any thought about proposing to Liv?" Alex asked cautiously. Elliot nodded,

"I'm thinking about popping the question once we get settled in our new place," he smiled, "get ourselves a babysitter and take her out for a night on the town, back to that good old motel room where we were doing the surveillance-" he cut himself off, shaking his head, "I just want to wait a bit, 'til things are a little more stable."

The sound of Bob and Liv laughing caught his ear.

"Wonder what they're doing?" Alex asked.

"Shall we?"

Alex and Elliot found the pair with Abby down the hall. Liv was holding her, while Abby had a death grip on Bob's finger.

"What's she doing?" Elliot asked, hugging Liv from behind.

"Oh, just being cute," Liv answered, snuggling into him.

"Little thing won't let go-ahh, there we go," Bob wiggled his finger around a bit.

"Good, so everything's normal then," Elliot said smiling. He leaned forward so he could see Abby's eyes. Liv kissed him on the cheek and then they just stood together, watching their daughter.

Bob and Alex found each other's arms and watched the happy young family, wondering when they would be so lucky.

TBC…